There’s no doubt that I’m uncoordinated on a dance floor. I love to let my feet run loose on a Friday night - but my skills don’t quite match my passion.

When I told some friends that I’d been invited out to a dance class in London’s west end, I could see the smirk cracking on their faces, “but you can’t dance!” I guess the dance-floor flamingo - as some of them call me - was the last person they would expect to see trying to follow a dance routine.

As part of their 'We're Open' campaign, Smirnoff have hooked up with a dude called Chris Fonseca, a deaf dancer specialising in street style dance, and put together a lesson for a few of us try out... I figured it’s never too late to take on something new, and was super excited to get involved.

I couldn’t really imagine how someone dances to music they can’t hear, so I was really interested to hear Chris’ story, learn his techniques and see him perform.

Walking into the studio, I was immediately impressed with the space. Dance Works includes 5 levels of huge timber-floored rooms, filled with people dancing, doing fitness and making music. It’s amazing, energetic vibe was a nice reminder to why I was attracted to the awesome city of London in the first place.

It wasn’t long before Chris had us warming up (yep – sweat dripping down my face in 30 seconds) and on the floor learning a routine. Slightly intimidated at first, Chris told us to let go of our inhibitions, and it wasn’t long before I loosened up. He probably regretted saying that once he saw my long limbs flying about.

The whole time I was dancing (... trying to at least), I was conscious that Chris was leading a crew of 8 with absolutely no ability to hear the music that we were dancing to.

Telling us that he’d learned his timing by feeling the beats through vibrations, it was pretty incredible to see – not only his amazing talent - but also his pure passion for the thing he loves to do.

Halfway through the session, Chris pulled out his new favourite toy, which he thinks will completely change the way deaf people interact with music. We were given noise-cancelling headphones and strapped up with SubPacs. Basically, this thing is a subwoofer that you wear as a backpack - and it’s incredible.

Stepping back onto the dance floor with baseline tremors blasting through my body was a whole new experience altogether. Suddenly I was dancing to music using purely vibration, and suddenly I could appreciate how amazing this would be for a deaf dancer like Chris.

A panting, hot and sweaty mess, but with the ability to string a few sentences together, I managed to have a chat with Chris after the session. He explained to me that he was at first going to become a graphic designer, but stumbled upon street style dance purely because a friend of his told him to give it a try.

Me and Chris

From the first session, he told me, he knew he’d found a new passion and it wasn’t long before he was putting all his time into the deaf dancing community.

Hearing how other people discover their passion, and then make a career out of it, is a good reminder to never stop searching, exploring and experiencing. Life’s simply too short to be doing something you don’t love.

I may have been the lankiest, most uncoordinated man at Dance Works, but if I’d said no to this random dance lesson, I’d have had missed out on a lot of fun, and meeting a super-inspiring dude.

Thanks loads to Smirnoff, SubPac, Dance Works, and of course Chris Fonseca, for such a fun morning. With Smirnoff now providing Chris with a space at Husky Studios each month, I can’t wait to get back to give it another go. Kicking off on the 27th of May, if you’re in London, get down there and check it out too.

Despite years of campaigning from heritage groups and architects, the bulldozers have now moved in. The demolition of Robin Hood Gardens is now well underway. The western block is now in partial ruins. The eastern block is still occupied and is set to be razed in the new year.

Camera in hand, I recently explored London's Kensington and Chelsea - home of Grenfell Tower. A distinct socio-economic divide between the north and south, the Borough epitomises the inequality that exists across wider London.

"Sirius, just like Trellick, Balfron and the Barbican in London, illustrates important aspects of the nation's social and cultural history."Last week I had an opinion piece published in the Sydney Morning Herald on brutalist architecture in Sydney and London.

A couple of weeks ago Saal Digital asked me to review one of their book products. Eager to start seeing some of my images in print, it was a great chance for me to self-publish quickly and easily without the hassle of understanding the ins and outs of graphic design and printing.

Photographer Nicholas Gascoine spent his mid 20's in New York City. There, he would work alongside some of the most prominent fashion photographers, often flying to exotic locations. Re-establishing himself back in the sunny country, Nick has embarked upon a new project in a move to take photography away from the private sphere of one’s screen and into the public realm.

If New York is an oil painting, London is a watercolour.
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#london #england #rain #ig_cities #streetphotography #street

I’ve always thought London’s Canary Wharf is such a weird, but interesting place. Only a few decades ago it was one of the world’s busiest shipping ports - East India Dock was at the centre, bringing goods into Europe from across the East. Today, it’s one of the world’s largest financial districts and continues to grow... 15 or so new skyscrapers under construction.
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I love seeing the old industrial elements mixed in with the new city.
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... Managed to get a few afternoon shots last week when the light was looking nice 🤙🏼.
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#isleofdogs #woodwharf #london #england #uk #architecture #canarywharf #urbanism #ig_cities #architecturalphotography